Renowned marine biologist Professor Emma Johnston will be the University of Melbourne’s first female vice chancellor in its 171-year history when she returns to her alma mater next year at a key moment for the higher education sector.
The University of Melbourne on Monday announced Professor Johnston will be its 21st vice chancellor from February, taking over from Professor Duncan Maskell.
She joins from the University of Sydney, where she led its research agenda as a deputy vice-chancellor after two decades at UNSW specialising in the ecological impacts of human activities in marine ecosystems.
Rising the ranks at UNSW to the positions of pro vice-chancellor (research) and dean of science, Professor Johnson is also a former president of Science and Technology Australia (STA) and currently a director of the CSIRO and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
“Professor Johnston is one of Australia’s preeminent university leaders, has a keen understanding of the issues facing the sector, a profound awareness of the Australian political context and is a strong advocate and a cogent voice for higher education,” University of Melbourne Chancellor Jane Hansen said.
Professor Johnston will lead the university as it adjusts to new international student caps that have historically been relied on to fund its research.
The University of Melbourne is Australia’s highest ranked university and among the hardest hit by the caps, with its intake of international students forecasted to fall by seven per cent.
The sector also faces a further shakeup as recommendations from a landmark universities accord are rolled out and the Albanese government’s national research and development review gets going.
The Melbourne sandstone has also been caught underpaying staff and is dealing with low rankings on student experience surveys as well as warnings of casual and overt racism.
Professor Johnston, who graduated from the University of Melbourne and served as president of the Student Union in 1995, said it is a privilege to lead the institution.
“As a sixth generation Melburnian, raised in Williamstown, I am excited to be coming home for the next chapter of an academic career that in many ways spawned from my childhood curiosity in the wonders of Port Philip Bay,” she said.
Professor Johnston joined the University of Sydney in mid-2022 and established a Horizon Fellows program to attract promising early and mid career researchers working on complex problems of global significance.
“I am incredibly proud of the research initiatives we’ve progressed at Sydney. They are gaining momentum, and I believe will significantly accelerate research and amplify impact,” she said.
“But opportunities like this one are rare and I am excited to return to my alma mater and continue advocating for the vital role of universities.”
The appointment was also welcomed by STA, which Professor Johnston helped grow into a louder advocacy voice for local scientists and technologists.
“Emma’s work with STA was transformative and under her leadership the organisation grew powerfully both in membership size and in influence. She has similarly excelled in every role she has taken on both before and since her time with STA,” the group’s current chief executive Ryan Winn said.
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